Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Is Cookie Going To Be Another Medical Challenge Or Are We Looking To Closely?

Cookie finished her series of ten underwater treadmill sessions and we took her to the primary vet for evaluation to see what will be our next steps. She seemed doing well, it's been a while I've seen her favor the leg. She wasn't limping even after her weekend farm visits, though I'm still on pins and needles. I suppose I'm going to be that way for a while now.

According to the evaluation, the legs are doing well.

Her primary vet couldn't identify any painful areas and the muscle size is almost back to symmetrical. Seems the therapy worked well.

The swelling on her left ankle is still there and requires further topical treatment but that one never seemed to bother Cookie at all. It is a low movement joint and the injury doesn't really interfere with function.

Cookie's ears also looked good with a regiment of weekly cleaning only.

That's the good news.

However, during this last check-up, her submandibular nodes were enlarged.

I really don't like words like enlarged nodes.

She isn't acting sick but it certainly gives me something else to worry about. Examination of the mouth didn't reveal any issues. Our vet feels it's the immune system's reaction to some irritation and might resolve on its own.

It is true that on Friday I had her veterinary chiropractor check them also and she said that one felt normal size and one just a tiny bit enlarged. To her they were returning to normal from whatever made them angry. I certainly hope so. Meanwhile, I'm watching Cookie like a hawk.

Unless something else happens in the meantime, her vet wants to see her for re-check at the end of the month. Fortunately, that's is going to be next week.

Why am I so worried about the nodes?

Jasmine had them very enlarged once, so much so that it was making her cough. According to Jasmine's vet at the time it was a toss up between an infection and lymphoma. We started antibiotics and, fortunately, the problem resolved and never came back. However, Jasmine also had a fever, Cookie does not.

The most likely reasons for these nodes to be enlarged is a regional infection or neoplasia. That's one of the words I'd like to erase from the dictionary right there. Infection could be in the mouth or in the ears, which both seemed to check out fine. Lymphoma or melanosarcoma are things I don't want to think about.

Really hoping that on the next check-up the nodes will be back to normal and remain that way.

Cookie's primary vet doesn't seem overly worried, so there is some comfort in that. That doesn't mean that it's not going to sit on my brain until I hear that the nodes are normal.

Are they trying to kill me?

I never said those words out loud, even though I was thinking it. My dear friend Dr. Krista did. "If they're not worried, they shouldn't have even told you and just put it in the notes."

I concur. That is one down side of online medical records, though. Even if they just put it in the notes, I'd still see it there anyway. Might as well just discuss it with me.

Maybe it's just the downside of looking so closely. The harder one looks, the more stuff they find. Maybe, if she wasn't at the vet's to evaluate progress of the leg injury, nobody would know about the nodes and life would go on.

Well, it is what it is. For now, I have something else to mess with my sleep.

2 comments

Sometimes knowing all that you know must be a real double edged sword. It's hard to keep calm when you not only know the worst case scenarios, but know the symptoms and the progression and possible treatments. No matter what, Cookie is a lucky girl to have someone who loves her enough to look closely. Even if she has contrived to murder sleep for you.

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Disclaimer: Information published on this blog are my opinions and findings the way I understand them. I try to provide good information, but my main goal is to get you to get educated and come to your own understanding of things.